


In the middle of the night

by Judybrandtner



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Geneva is a big bitch on this one, mentions of domestic violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:56:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28864419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judybrandtner/pseuds/Judybrandtner
Summary: A knock on the door awakes the Frasers in the small hours.
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Comments: 17
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And this is me, trying to write something not so fluffy.

In a blue house on the suburbs of Edinburgh lived the Fraser family. The father, Jamie, was a sports journalist with a radio show about football and rugby every evening; Claire, the mother, was a surgeon at a well known hospital, and they had three small children- five-year-old twins Fergus and Faith and three-year-old Brianna- with a fourth one soon joining the family. Also with them lived Murtagh, Jamie Fraser and the children's godfather, a good, if sometimes grumpy, man, a cat named Adso and two labradoodles named Daisy and Bear.

There was another family member on the family tho, if he didn't lived full time with the Fraser's. Age 18, Jamie had gotten his then girlfriend, Geneva, pregnant with their son, William. Both families had been keen on a hasty marriage, and, if it looked like it would work at the beginning, soon after Willie's second birthday, the couple had divorced and started separate lives. Jamie meeting Claire soon after and creating a good life with her and their family. Geneva going through a succession of increasingly unsuitable relationships. Willie passing time at the Fraser's home every two weeks and holidays.

One night in November, the family slept peacefully at their home. The cat sleeping at the top of his tree and the dogs sleeping each at one of the children's rooms. The peaceful scene was broken by a strong knock on the door and a repeated ring at the bell. 'What the hell is that?' Claire said as Jamie and her woke up, Claire tried to move as fast as her eight-month baby bump let her.

'I'll go to check. Stay here.' Jamie said, quickly putting a jumper over his pyjamas and running downstairs with Murtagh, who had taken possession of his shinty stick in case of need.

'Dad, what is that?' Wee Fergus asked. 

'Murtagh and I will find out.' Jamie caressed the boy's hair. 'Go and wait with yer mam.'

Jamie opened the door, Murtagh ready with his shinty stick close by only to find his son Willie, without a jacket even in the cold night, home slippers and drenching in water, as it was raining outside. 'Da.' Willie hugged Jamie, crying on him, as Murtagh closed the door and left the stick beside it.

'What are ye doin' here at this time a balaich?' Jamie said, his heart sinking as he noticed a black eye and blood on Willie's lip. 'What has happened to ye? Is yer mam OK?'

Murtagh went to kitchen to warm up some milk for hot chocolate while Jamie went upstairs for towels and some clean, dry clothes, Claire coming down to check Willie's injuries. The three small children having first to be convinced to go back to bed, instead of go down to play with their brother. 'Why we canna go and play with Willie?' Faith said to her parents.

''Tis too late for play.' Jamie said to Faith, who pouted in synchrony with her siblings. 'Ye can play with him on the morning.'

'Good lord.' Claire said as she saw Willie, soon discovering finger shaped bruises on Willie's arm. 'What's happened?'

'I was playing with the game you gave me for my birthday.' Willie started to recall through tears. 'Peter's son asked me to give him the console because he wanted to play with it. I told him no, that it was mine alone. He tried to take it from me and I accidentally pushed him. He went to tell his da I had pushed him. He came to me, grabbed me and punched me.' Claire hugged Willie tightly as he cried. 

'Son of a bitch.' Murtagh said, giving the boy some hot chocolate. 'Drink this lad, it will be make ye feel better.'

Jamie was boiling with fury at his son's state. 'Where was yer mam? Does she ken?'

Willie nodded. 'She was drinking outside. She came and told me it was my fault and that I deserved it for be selfish and fight with Peter's son. She took my console, gave it to Peter's son and locked me in my room. I escaped through the window and walked for hours until I arrived here.' Willie took a long of the hot chocolate. 'I dinna want to come back, Da. I want to live with ye and Claire. Please, Da.' 

'Your father and I will see it, Willie.' Claire said to Willie, still on her arms. 'We promise. Now, let's get you on warm clothes and to your bed. It's late.' She kissed Willie's temple and, helped by Murtagh, took him upstairs to his room for a much needed sleep. She soon went back down, where Jamie has having a heated conversation with Geneva on the phone.

'How in God's world ye can say Willie deserved to get beaten for no' wantin' to give the console Claire and I gave to him to someone else?' He was saying as Claire sat on the sofa looking at Jamie, who was stomping around in fury through the living room. 'I'm callin' the police first thin' in the mornin'... Try me, Geneva, I have had a lot of patience with ye and that bastard ye took inside yer house... He beat my son, I have the right to call him whatever I want... Willie isna comin' back and he doesna want to either... He's stayin' with us from now on...' Jamie threw the phone on a table and sighed loudly, Claire moving to give him space on the sofa. He sat with thump, hands on his head, Claire covering him with her woollen shawl. 'I canna believe this.'

'What Geneva had to say?' Claire asked.

'She kept defendin' the bastard and her own actions, tellin' me how much of a brat Willie is and how much the bastard doesna like him and that Willie should be nicer to him.' Jamie explained to Claire. 'She's also sayin' that for her, Willie can stay with us and she will be happier if she doesna have him around her.'

'What in the name of sanity is Geneva doing?' Claire said, taking Jamie's shivering hands in hers. 'I can't even think in let one of my children being beaten like that and even justify it.' 

'This is the last straw,' Jamie told Claire. 'I'm tellin' the police in the mornin' and then goin' to Geneva's to pick up all of Willie's stuff. He's stayin' with us from now on.'

'Yes, that's the best we can do now.' Claire said. 'Now it's time to go to bed. We all need some sleep.'

The next morning, as he planned, Jamie talked with the police and accompanied them to Geneva's house to talk with her and her boyfriend. 'You bastard.' Geneva shouted at Jamie as the officers took her boyfriend to the station. 'Take whatever you want. I don't want to know anything from you and the brat ever again.'

'He doesna want anythin' from ye either.' Jamie told Geneva as he loaded the car. 'Luckily he has Claire to love him as a mother should love her child. What do ye have left?' Geneva didn't answer, but came back to her house and closed the door. Jamie finished loading the boxes and went back home, to find Willie in the garden, laughing and playing football with Fergus. His son deserved a good life and Jamie promised to himself and God, he was going to give him one from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

Geneva put no problems about Willie staying with his father, more like the opposite, she seemed happy signing the custody change papers and soon she was moving abroad with yet another unworthy man. Jamie tried to keep Willie in contact with her, she was his mother after all, but Geneva was less and less interested and soon both Willie and Jamie gave up.

Willie thrived living with the Frasers, his school reports and grades shooting up and making new friends on the neighbourhood. He developed an interest in medicine and healing while working with Claire as volunteer at one of the charity programs at Claire's hospital and decided that that would be the path he wanted to follow in his future. 'Yer son is a brilliant lad, Doctor Fraser.' One of the old ladies Willie had been reading and accompanied told Claire. 'I wish my own grandbairns would be as nice as him.'

'I know, I'm really proud of him.' Claire said, Willie smiling behind her.

'I'm going to miss the program.' Willie said to Claire as they drove to home after the last day before the beginning of the school year.

'I'm going to miss have you around too.' Claire smiled. 'You've done such a good job on the program. Everyone is hoping to see you back soon.'

'Ye dinna corrected Mrs. Fitz when she said I was yer son.'

'Well, I don't have too.' Claire parked the car close to the Fraser home. 'You're my son, Willie. You've been my son since the moment your father told me about your existence on our first date.'

'Then...would ye like if I call ye Mam?' Willie almost made Claire with his request. 'I've been thinkin' about it for a while.'

'Of course you can call me Mam, Willie.' Claire finally broke up on tears and hugged the boy.

Willie graduated his high school with one of the highest grades, and went to the medicine faculty on Edinburgh, with the intention of becoming a surgeon as his mother was. He met there a girl from Ireland named Niamh. They were soon inseparable and Jamie, Claire and Murtagh enjoy seeing the young romance blossom and grow. One day, soon after Willie and Niamh had graduated and started working at Claire's hospital, Willie came to the Fraser house with catalogue from a high street jewellery shop, wanting to have his parents opinions about engagement rings, as he was proposing to Niamh, the Frasers bursting in happiness at the news. 

'You must choose one you're sure Niamh is going to like.' Claire said as the browsed the catalogue.

'Aye, 't has to be special.' Jamie agreed with Claire. 'It took me months to find yer mam's ring.' Both older Frasers looked at each other, remembering the night Jamie had proposed to Claire. 'And dinna go for somethin' too expensive, 'tis the message what is important here.'

'I like this one.' Willie showed his parents one he had marked. A ring with a central stone and two small flowers, one at each side of the main stone, a small stone at the center. 'Niamh loves flowers, and the lass at the shop told me I can change the stones to emeralds, her birthstone.'

'I love it, it's really pretty.' Claire said quickly. 'Isn't it, Jamie?'

'Aye, 'tis verra bonnie.' Jamie answered. 

It would be a few days until Jamie's phone rung during a Friday movie night, the four young Fraser siblings sprawled on the carpet, soon cheering as Jamie showed them a picture of Willie and Niamh, a shiny ring on her finger. Every Fraser had a special job at the wedding, the three Fraser sisters- Faith, Brianna and Alexandra- being bridesmaids, while Fergus acted as Willie's best man. Jamie hugged Claire as she cried, kissing her hair, while Murtagh gleefully cheered for the bride and the groom as the priest declared the happy couple married.

Almost two years to the date, Jamie, Claire and Murtagh, were summoned to the hospital to meet the newest member of the Fraser family. Niamh was on the bed, looking tired but radiantly happy, while Willie held their daughter, a big healthy girl with the Fraser red hair. 'Och, another red Fraser.' Murtagh said, cooing at the baby. 

'Well, with all the Scottish and Irish blood in her, it was expected.' Claire said, going to kiss and check on Niamh. 'How are you feeling?'

'I feel like I've been run over by a truck.' Niamh said. 'But I couldn't be happier.' She smiled and looked at Willie and the baby, now in Jamie's arms.

'Our first grandbairn, mo Sorcha.' Jamie said, Claire now by his side. 'She's verra bonnie, isna she?'

'She's wonderful.' Claire said, finally having the opportunity of hold the baby. 

'We want to name her Claire,' Willie said, 'after her grandmother.' Claire felt tears on her eyes as she heard. 'And we want ye to be her godmother.'

'Of course I will be.' Claire said. 'Hello little Claire.'

'Is dòcha gum beannaich Dia thu, mo Sorcha beag.' Jamie said, holding the baby's tiny hand.

'I've never thanked ye.' Jamie said, his arm around Claire as they waited for Murtagh, who had gone for some food at the hospital's cafe. 

'Whatever for?' Claire answered.

'For be such a good Mam for Willie all these years.'

'I cried enough for today Jamie.' Claire joked, but feeling the tears for real.

'God blessed both Willie and me when he put ye on our lives.' Jamie kissed Claire, Murtagh having to do a growling noise to announce his presence on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is dòcha gum beannaich Dia thu, mo Sorcha beag- God may bless you, my Little Sorcha.


End file.
